Combination chemotherapy with carboplatin, paclitaxel and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin for advanced or recurrent carcinosarcoma of the uterus: clinical experience of a single institution

Effect of adjuvant therapy on the prognosis in stage I/II uterine carcinosarcoma: A meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

To assess the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or both following the primary surgery on the progression-free survival and 5-year overall survival in patients with stage I/II uterine carcinosarcoma.

METHODS

A preliminary investigation was conducted using PubMed and Embase databases to identify relevant studies published up to March, 2020. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by Revman 5.3 software to analysis outcomes.

RESULTS

Six retrospective cohort studies were involved in the analysis, including 1516 patients in observation group, 956 patients in chemotherapy group, 750 patients in radiotherapy group, and 1082 patients in raidochemotherapy group. The results indicated that chemotherapy alone (HR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.38-0.91, p < 0.05) and radiochemotherapy (HR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.24-0.53, p < 0.001) were associated with improved progression-free survival in patients. Similarly, pooled results suggested chemotherapy (HR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.34-0.71, p < 0.001) and radiochemotherapy (HR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.29-0.72, p < 0.001) promoted the 5-year overall survival compared with observation. However, radiotherapy alone had no statistical significance in improving progression-free survival (HR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.49-1.29, p = 0.36) and 5-year overall survival (HR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.38-1.12, p = 0.12).

DISCUSSION

Chemotherapy and radiochemotherapy appeared to be prognostic beneficial to early-stage uterine carcinosarcoma.

HDAC Inhibition Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition in a Novel Pleural-Effusion Derived Uterine Carcinosarcoma Cell Line

Objective: Uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) is a rare but highly aggressive malignancy with biphasic growth pattern. This morphology can be attributed to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that often associates with tumor invasion and metastasis. Accordingly, we analyzed a novel patient-derived preclinical model to explore whether EMT is a potential target in UCS.

Methods: A novel UCS cell line (PF338) was established from the malignant pleural effusion of a 59-year-old patient at time of disease progression. Immunohistochemistry was performed in primary and metastatic tumor lesions. Oncogenic mutations were identified by next-generation sequencing. Viability assays and cell cycle analyses were used to test in vitro sensitivity to different standard and novel treatments. E-cadherin, β-catenin and pSMAD2 expressions were measured by immunoblot.

Results: Whereas immunohistochemistry of the metastatic tumor showed a predominantly sarcomatous vimentin positive tumor that has lost E-cadherin expression, PF338 cells demonstrated biphasic growth and carried mutations in KRAS, PIK3CA, PTEN and ARID1A. PF338 tumor cells were resistant to MEK- and TGF-β signaling-inhibition but sensitive to PIK3CA- and PARP-inhibition and first-line chemotherapeutics. Strikingly, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition markedly reduced cell viability by inducing a dose-dependent G0/1 arrest and led to mesenchymal-epithelial transition as evidenced by morphological change and increased E-cadherin and β-catenin expression.

Conclusions: Our data suggest that HDAC inhibition is effective in a novel UCS cell line by interfering with both viability and differentiation. These findings emphasize the dynamic manner of EMT/MET and epigenetics and the importance of molecular profiling to pave the way for novel therapies in UCS.

CNS metastasis secondary to malignant-mixed Müllerian tumor: case report and review of therapeutics

This paper reviews CNS involvement secondary to malignant-mixed Müllerian tumor or uterine carcinosarcoma, a rare aggressive biphasic Müllerian tumor. We report a cerebellar metastasis with epithelial and mesenchymal components, demonstrating heterologous rhabdomyogenic and chondroblastic differentiation. The patient had undergone total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for palliation of symptomatic chemotherapy-resistant node-positive disease. CNS involvement is rare, and prognostically poor, and suggestively poorer in predominantly sarcomatous metastases. Multimodal therapy is indicated; in solitary metastases, surgical resection or stereotactic radiosurgery is included, followed by whole brain radiotherapy. In unresectable brain metastases, stereotactic radiosurgery and whole brain radiotherapy warrant consideration in up to 2-3 metastases. In multiple metastases, palliative steroid therapy or cranial irradiation may be considered. Combination or platinum-based chemotherapy (i.e., ifosfamide-paclitaxel or carboplatin-paclitaxel) is indicated in all stages, with a role in both disease cure and control-directed management. Targeted therapeutics have thus far not demonstrated significant clinical efficacy.

Review of Recommended Treatment of Uterine Carcinosarcoma

Surgery is the primary treatment for uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS). Lymphadenectomy should be performed for staging purposes in tumors apparently confined to the uterus. Most studies found that lymphadenectomy is of therapeutic value. The therapeutic value of cytoreduction to no residual macroscopic disease in advanced UCS is based mostly on small retrospective uncontrolled studies. Postoperative adjuvant therapy should be considered for all stages of UCS. Adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy may reduce locoregional recurrences. However, this does not translate into improved overall survival since most recurrences are distant outside the irradiated field, and the survival rates remain poor, the 5-year overall survival being about 50%. Several adjuvant platin-based combination chemotherapy schedules such as cisplatin/ifosfamide, ifosfamide/paclitaxel, and paclitaxel/carboplatin have been found to be an effective mode of adjuvant treatment. Multimodal therapy (i.e., adjuvant chemotherapy plus radiotherapy) has also been shown to be effective. Most studies dealing with adjuvant treatment are retrospective and prospective randomized controlled trials (i.e., phase III studies) comparing that between the various adjuvant chemotherapy schedules and between them and multimodal treatment are lacking. Quality of life with the various treatment modalities needs also to be assessed. An effective targeted therapy has so far not been found. In spite of the multiple studies with regard to the treatment of UCS published during the last 15 years, the optimal management of UCS is still not established.

Significance of histologic pattern of carcinoma and sarcoma components on survival outcomes of uterine carcinosarcoma

BACKGROUND

To examine the effect of the histology of carcinoma and sarcoma components on survival outcome of uterine carcinosarcoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A multicenter retrospective study was conducted to examine uterine carcinosarcoma cases that underwent primary surgical staging. Archived slides were examined and histologic patterns were grouped based on carcinoma (low-grade versus high-grade) and sarcoma (homologous versus heterologous) components, correlating to clinico-pathological demographics and outcomes.

RESULTS

Among 1192 cases identified, 906 cases were evaluated for histologic patterns (carcinoma/sarcoma) with high-grade/homologous (40.8%) being the most common type followed by high-grade/heterologous (30.9%), low-grade/homologous (18.0%), and low-grade/heterologous (10.3%). On multivariate analysis, high-grade/heterologous (5-year rate, 34.0%, P = 0.024) and high-grade/homologous (45.8%, P = 0.017) but not low-grade/heterologous (50.6%, P = 0.089) were independently associated with decreased progression-free survival (PFS) compared with low-grade/homologous (60.3%). In addition, older age, residual disease at surgery, large tumor, sarcoma dominance, deep myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, and advanced-stage disease were independently associated with decreased PFS (all, P < 0.01). Both postoperative chemotherapy (5-year rates, 48.6% versus 39.0%, P < 0.001) and radiotherapy (50.1% versus 44.1%, P = 0.007) were significantly associated with improved PFS in univariate analysis. However, on multivariate analysis, only postoperative chemotherapy remained an independent predictor for improved PFS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27-0.43, P < 0.001]. On univariate analysis, significant treatment benefits for PFS were seen with ifosfamide for low-grade carcinoma (82.0% versus 49.8%, P = 0.001), platinum for high-grade carcinoma (46.9% versus 32.4%, P = 0.034) and homologous sarcoma (53.1% versus 38.2%, P = 0.017), and anthracycline for heterologous sarcoma (66.2% versus 39.3%, P = 0.005). Conversely, platinum, taxane, and anthracycline for low-grade carcinoma, and anthracycline for homologous sarcoma had no effect on PFS compared with non-chemotherapy group (all, P > 0.05). On multivariate analysis, ifosfamide for low-grade/homologous (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.07-0.63, P = 0.005), platinum for high-grade/homologous (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.22-0.60, P < 0.001), and anthracycline for high-grade/heterologous (HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.14-0.62, P = 0.001) remained independent predictors for improved PFS. Analyses of 1096 metastatic sites showed that carcinoma components tended to spread lymphatically, while sarcoma components tended to spread loco-regionally (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Characterization of histologic pattern provides valuable information in the management of uterine carcinosarcoma.

Taxanes: their impact on gynecologic malignancy

The use of taxanes in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies has expanded tremendously over the past 30 years. Both paclitaxel and docetaxel have unique microtubule stabilizing, antiangiogenic and radiation sensitizing properties that endow them with remarkable activity as chemotherapeutic agents. As research into the appropriate dose, timing, treatment interval, and response rates have been studied, they have emerged as one of the most active agents available in the treatment of gynecologic cancer. The body of research on taxanes continues to expand especially with regard to the use of taxanes in alternative formulations and in combination with newer treatments or routes of treatment. This review focuses on the development of taxanes as an effective therapy in the treatment of gynecologic cancers and data currently available in the literature regarding their efficacy. Future directions of taxane-based chemotherapy with regards to ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers are also addressed. There is little doubt that taxane-based chemotherapy will remain an integral part of the treatment of gynecologic cancer for the foreseeable future.

Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) consensus review for uterine and ovarian carcinosarcoma

Carcinosarcomas (also known as malignant mixed müllerian tumors) are rare and highly aggressive epithelial malignancies that contain both malignant sarcomatous and carcinomatous elements. Uterine carcinosarcomas (UCs) are uncommon with approximately more than 35% presenting with extra uterine disease at diagnosis. Up to 90% ovarian carcinosarcomas (OCs) will have disease that has spread beyond the ovary. Prognosis for localized stage disease is poor with a high risk of recurrences, both local and distant, occurring within 1 year. The survival of women with advanced UC or OC is worse than survival of endometrioid or high-grade serous histologies. No improvement in survival rates has been observed in the past few decades with an overall median survival of less than 2 years. Currently, there is no clear evidence to establish consensus guidelines for therapeutic management of carcinosarcomas. Until recently, gynecological carcinosarcomas were considered as a subtype of sarcoma and treated as such. However, carcinosarcomas are now known to be metaplastic carcinomas and so should be treated as endometrial or ovarian high-risk carcinomas, despite the lack of specific data. For UCs, a comprehensive approach to management is recommended with complete surgical staging followed by systemic chemotherapy in patients with both early and advanced stage disease. Active agents include paraplatin, cisplatin, ifosfamide, and paclitaxel. The combination of carboplatin-paclitaxel is the most commonly used regimen in the adjuvant and advanced setting. Adjuvant radiotherapy (external beam irradiation and/or vaginal brachytherapy) has not shown any overall survival benefit but has been reported to decrease local recurrences. For OCs and for other ovarian epithelial cancer, the mainstay of treatment remains cytoreductive surgical effort followed, even in early stage, by platinum-based chemotherapy, usually carboplatin-paclitaxel.

A phase II evaluation of pazopanib in the treatment of recurrent or persistent carcinosarcoma of the uterus: a gynecologic oncology group study

OBJECTIVE

Carcinosarcomas of the female genital tract, also called malignant mixed müllerian tumors, are aggressive biphasic tumors. Second-line treatment options in the recurrent/persistent setting have yielded marginal responses. Given the potential role of angiogenesis in the gynecological carcinomas, pazopanib, a VEGFR inhibitor, was investigated in the management of patients with recurrent carcinosarcoma of the uterus.

METHODS

Eligible patients had histologically confirmed carcinosarcoma of the uterus, a maximum of two prior lines of therapy, adequate renal, hepatic and hematologic function and a performance status of 0-2. Pazopanib was administered orally at 800mg. Two dose reductions were allowed. The primary objective was to ascertain the activity of pazopanib as measured by the proportion of patients who survive progression-free for at least six months and the proportion of patients that have objective tumor responses. Secondary objectives included the frequency and severity of adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v4.0.

RESULTS

Of the 22 enrolled patients, 19 were eligible and evaluable for toxicity and survival. No patients had a partial or complete response (90% confidence interval [CI]: 0%, 14.6%). Three patients (15.8%) had PFS ≥6months (90% CI: 4.4%, 35.9%). The median PFS was 2.0months (first and third quartiles were 1.6 and 4.0months, respectively). The median overall survival was 8.7months (first and third quartiles were 2.6 and 14.0months, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Pazopanib demonstrated minimal activity as a second or third line treatment for advanced uterine carcinosarcoma. Potential clinical trial participation should be discussed with the patients.

SP600125 overcomes antimitotic drug-resistance in cancer cells by increasing apoptosis with independence of P-gp inhibition

The purpose of this study was to identify conditions that increase the sensitivity of resistant cancer cells to antimitotic drugs. Using MTS assays, microscopic observation, assessment of cleaved PARP, FACS analysis, and Hoechst staining, we found that the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (Jnk) inhibitor SP600125 (SP) sensitized the antimitotic drug-resistant KBV20C cancer cell line. The sensitization mechanism was independent of p-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibition. Interestingly, SP-induced sensitization was greater in resistant KBV20C cancer cells than in KB parent cells. The mechanism of SP-induced sensitization involved G2 arrest. KBV20C cells treated with SP and antimitotic drugs were more sensitized than cells treated with SP alone. This suggests that SP can restore sensitization for antimitotic drugs in resistant cancer cells. Our findings may contribute to the development of SP-based combination therapies for patients receiving anti-cancer agents that target microtubules.

Anaplastic carcinoma of the pancreas mimicking submucosal gastric tumor: a case report of a rare tumor

Anaplastic carcinoma of the pancreas (ACP) is a rare neoplasm of the pancreas. ACPs are aggressive neoplasms with a poorer prognosis than poorly differentiated ductal adenocarcinomas of the pancreas. The 3-year survival rate of patients with ACP is less than 3%, with a life expectancy of 10 to 20 months. We describe here a 64-year-old man with ACP mimicking a submucosal gastric tumor. The patient was found to have a giant mass mimicking a submucosal tumor. Total gastrectomy with splenectomy and partial resection of the tail of the pancreas were performed. The pathological diagnosis was ACP, with immunohistological findings showing pleomorphic-type ACP. Because the surgery was noncurative, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel but died of peritoneal dissemination and multiple liver metastases 4 months after surgery.

Is there an increase in the incidence of uterine carcinosarcoma in north-east Scotland? A 19 years population-based cohort study

Background and aims

The incidence of uterine carcinosarcoma and factors associated with its survival are little known and this study helps to address this question for women residing in north-east Scotland.

Methods and results

Data were collected from women diagnosed with carcinosarcoma of the uterus residing in north-east of Scotland from 1991 to 2009. Kaplan–Meier plots and Cox regression analysis were used for analysis. A total of 43 women were analysed during this period. The median survival was 25 months. The estimated five-year survival for stage I/II disease was 52.5% (95% CI: 30.5–74.5%). The 2-year survival rate for stage III/IV disease was 46% (95% CI: 16–75%). There was an increase in the incidence during this period. Improved survival was seen in early-stage disease (FIGO stages I and II) and in the absence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI; p = 0.015). A total of 26% of the women had a history of tamoxifen usage with no effect seen on survival. Multivariate analysis showed that when treatment modality and LVSI were adjusted for FIGO staging, there was no statistical significance in the survival outcomes.

Conclusion

The incidence of uterine carcinosarcomas is increasing parallel with endometrial carcinomas with no significant effect of tamoxifen on survival.

Salinomycin sensitizes antimitotic drugs-treated cancer cells by increasing apoptosis via the prevention of G2 arrest

Here, we investigated whether Sal could sensitize cancer cells to antimitotic drugs. We demonstrated that Sal sensitized paclitaxcel (PAC)-, docetaxcel (DOC)-, vinblastin (VIN)-, or colchicine (COL)-treated cancer cell lines, suggesting that Sal has the ability to sensitize the cells to any form of microtubule-targeting drugs. Sensitization to the antimitotic drugs could be achieved with very low concentrations of Sal, suggesting that there is a possibility to minimize Sal toxicity associated with human cancer patient treatments. Sensitization by Sal increased apoptosis, which was observed by C-PARP production. Sal sensitized the cancer cells to antimitotic drugs by preventing G2 arrest, suggesting that Sal contributes to the induction of mitotic catastrophe. Sal generally reduced cyclin D1 levels in PAC-, DOC-, and VIN-treated cells. In addition, Sal treatment increased pH2AX levels and reduced p21 levels in antimitotic drugs-treated cells. These observations suggest that the mechanisms underlying Sal sensitization to DNA-damaging compounds, radiation, and microtubule-targeting drugs are similar. Our data demonstrated that Sal sensitizes cancer cells to antimitotic drugs by increasing apoptosis through the prevention of G2 arrest via conserved Sal-sensitization mechanisms. These results may contribute to the development of Sal-based chemotherapy for cancer patients treated with antimitotic drugs.

Paclitaxel-ifosfamide-carboplatin combination chemotherapy regimen in advanced uterine and adnexal malignant mixed Mullerian tumours

Background:

Malignant mixed Mullerian tumours (MMMTs) of the uterus and adnexa represent aggressive gynaecologic malignancies with a high rate of loco-regional and distant failure. For that reason, we evaluated the paclitaxel–ifosfamide–carboplatin (TICb) combination in patients with advanced MMMTs.

Methods:

Female patients with advanced MMMTs, WHO-PS 0–2, no prior chemotherapy for systemic disease, unimpaired haemopoietic and organ function were eligible. Chemotherapy was administered at the following doses; paclitaxel: 175 mg m^–2 on day 1, ifosfamide: 2.0g m^–2 day^–1 – days 1 and 2, and carboplatin at a target area under the curve 5 on day 2, with prophylactic G-CSF from day 3.

Results:

Forty patients of a median age 61 (45–72) years, performance status 0–2 with advanced MMMTs of the uterus (n=34), tubes (n=2) or ovary (n=4) have entered and all were evaluable for response and toxicity. Responses were as follows: 27 out of 40 (67.5%) evaluable patients responded, with 11 complete responses and 16 partial responses, while 10 had stable disease, and 3 developed progressive disease. The median response duration was 9 months (range, 4–40 months), median progression-free survival 13 months (range, 3–42 months), while median overall survival 18 months (range, 4–48 months). Grade 3/4 neutropenia was recorded in 22 out of 40 (55%) – with 13 developing grade 4 (⩽7 days) and 7 out of 40 (17.5%) of patients at least one episode of febrile neutropenia.

Conclusion:

In this study, it appears that the TICb combination, yielded important activity with manageable toxicity in females with advanced MMMTs warranting further randomised comparison with current standard regimens.

Complete response of anaplastic pancreatic carcinoma to paclitaxel treatment selected by chemosensitivity testing

A 58-year-old woman was admitted to our institute in June 2007 because of obstructive jaundice. A mass in the pancreatic head and multiple swollen lymph nodes surrounding the common hepatic artery were identified using computed tomography (CT). Subsequently, endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) was done. Histopathologic results revealed anaplastic carcinoma of the pancreas. Using specimens obtained with EUS-FNA, chemosensitivity testing with adenosine triphosphate assay was performed. Testing indicated high chemosensitivity to paclitaxel (PTX). According to this result, chemotherapy using PTX was performed, and the primary lesion and lymph node metastases disappeared completely on CT. The patient has been doing well with no recurrence for 1 year and 11 months since initial chemotherapy.